Tarpon in the river

[brianpeterking]

We were fishing on the Colorado around a mile upstream from the locks at Matagorda on friday night and we were catching a ton of trout. About an hour into catching undersized trout we caught a baby tarpon. It was about a foot long. It hit on the same soft plastic glow we were throwing at the trout. The fact that juvenile inhabit the river is a good sign of a healthy fishery.

Has anyone ever caught tarpon of any size in west bay?

[Ibtsoom]

I've heard of a few in Chocolate. I've never caught one.

[Robalo]

Caught, make that hooked, one under the Causeway in about 1984 that was around 5' long, made 3 jumps and cut my line on the I-45 piling and saw about a 5-6' near Moses chasing bait by a 'reef' in 1987 or so. One fellow on this site hooked about a 2' one in Chocolate a few years ago.

[coachlaw]

I have landed 2 in my 12 years fishin' in Titlum-Tatlum. First one was a baby. Second one was over 30 inches. I was PIZZED because I thought I had a world record speck on the line. Tarpon are fun, but they're just big ladyfish.

[brianpeterking]

Pretty wild stuff.

I'm with ya Coach, it'd be fun to catch but then disappointing to have to throw it back.

I hear they're back in a big way almost to what they were in the 50s around Rockport. Nobody down there is really advertising it though, probably for good reason.

[wavygravy]

I had a good 30 seconds with one in SLP last summer on my first cast that morning. Couple jumps and a lot of screaming drag before it shook the hook.